The present invention relates generally to the field of data processing and storage, and more particularly to flash memory codeword architectures.
Memory devices are typically provided as internal integrated circuits in computers and other electronic devices. There are many different types of memory including volatile and non-volatile memory. Volatile memory typically requires power to maintain data (e.g., user data or error-correcting data). Non-volatile memory can provide persistent data by retaining stored data when not powered and can include NAND flash memory, NOR flash memory, read only memory (ROM), and electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), among various other types of memory.
Memory devices can be combined together to form a storage volume of a memory system such as a solid state drive (SSD). Solid state drives generally include NAND flash memory and/or NOR flash memory and controllers that utilize smaller amounts of volatile memory (e.g., dynamic random access memory) in the form of buffers and/or caches. Solid state drives incorporating NAND flash memory increasingly replace or supplement hard disk drives (HDDs) in various computing devices due to advantages in terms of performance, size, weight, ruggedness, operating temperature range, and power consumption. In general, SSDs significantly outperform HDDs in terms of I/O performance due, at least in part, to a lack of moving parts that eliminates seek times and other electro-mechanical delays that reduce HDD performance.